Approaches of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-Funded Intermediary Organizations to Structuring and Supporting Small High Schools in New York City. Executive Summary

Foley, Eileen

Policy Studies Associates, Inc.

In 2003, a few years after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began implementing its small schools reform agenda, the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced a plan to replace large failing high schools in New York City with 200 small schools. In short order, the foundation and the Chancellor became partners with city labor unions, several other foundations, and several intermediary organizations in carrying forward this initiative. This study examines the role that intermediary organizations, the groups responsible for distributing grant funds and starting and advising new small schools, played in the Gates Foundation initiative. The study is part of a collaborative evaluation effort funded by the foundation and led by MDRC that included the Academy for Educational Development (AED) as well as Policy Studies Associates (PSA). Together the three groups, through four studies, aimed to clarify the characteristics, implementation, and impact of the New York City small schools initiative. The authors conclude that intermediary approaches to school design and support were multi-dimensional and coherent overall. Intermediaries also offered interestingly different perspectives on college-readiness, on balancing "proven" with tailored-made curricula, on organizing school time, and on enabling teacher learning. Based on these considerations, they make several recommendations. [This paper was prepared with Erickson Arcaira, Stephen Coleman, Elizabeth Reisner, Troy Scott, Tandra Turner, and Yvonne Woods. For the full report, see ED510236.]